Man arrested with rifle says he wanted to shoot two people

PORTLAND, Maine — A Maine man who was arrested with a rifle outside a downtown church says he wanted to shoot two people before starting a new life in Massachusetts.

Portland police say a shooting inside First Parish Church was averted when an officer arrested 46-year-old Herbert Jones outside the church. Jones faces charges including terrorizing, stalking and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Jones says he wanted to shoot two men at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in the church — one man he believed to be a pedophile and another man he believed was vying for the affections of a woman with whom Jones is charged with stalking.

He tells the Portland Press Herald that he suffers from bipolar disorder and planned to flee after the shooting. He says he had to get out of Maine “because the demons are after me.”